Virtual reality (VR) can be used to create an illusion of reality or imagined reality. For example, a data processing system can be used to simulate a real or imaginary system and provide an environment for a user to interact with the simulated system. A user can perform operations on the simulated system, explore the simulated system and receive feedback in real time.
A virtual reality environment may primarily provide visual experiences, displayed on a computer screen or through stereoscopic display devices, such as head-mount displays (HMD), liquid crystal display (LCD) shutter glasses, polarized glasses, anaglyph glasses, etc. A three-dimensional (3D) system can be simulated such that the visual experience of the user depends on the viewpoint of the user; and the user may continuously adjust his or her viewpoint to obtain a personal view of the simulated system in real time. Some virtual reality environments provide additional sensory experiences, such as sound, touch, etc., (e.g., through speakers or headphones for audio, haptic systems for motion or force feedback, etc.).
A virtual reality environment can offer users immersion, navigation, and manipulation. A virtual reality environment can make the users feel that they are present in the simulated world and their visual experience in the virtual world more or less matches what they expect from the simulated environment, a sensation sometime referred to as engagement or immersion.
Some virtual reality worlds support a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG), in which a user represented by an avatar can interact with other users who are also represented by their corresponding avatars. Controlled by an input device such as a keyboard, an avatar can move in the virtual reality world and even fly around to explore, meet people, engage in text chat, etc. To simplify the navigation process, an avatar may also be teleported directly to a specific location in the virtual reality world. When an avatar representing a different person is in the view, this person/avatar can be selected to start a conversation (e.g., text chat).
An avatar includes an image that represents a user. The appearance of an avatar may or may not resemble the user. An avatar may be in the shape of a human being, a cartoon character, or other objects. An avatar may be based on one or more photographs of the user. For example, a photo image of a user may be mapped to generate an avatar that simulates the look and feel of the user. Alternatively, an avatar may not have any resemblance with the actual appearance of the user, to allow the user a complete different virtual life in a virtual community.
U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2008/0262910, entitled “Methods and Systems to Connect People via Virtual Reality for Real Time Communications”, discloses a virtual reality environment in which users in real world can be connected for real time communication via virtual telephones provided in the virtual reality environment. The virtual reality environment may include virtual objects, such as a virtual computer, a virtual bulletin board, a virtual magazine or newspaper, a virtual book, a virtual television, a virtual robot, to provide advertisements.
U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2016/0026253, entitled “Methods and Systems for Creating Virtual and Augmented Reality”, discloses an augmented reality (AR) system that may render a virtual television that could even extend beyond the confines of the physical room. The AR system also renders media content, such as television programs, movies, video conference or calls, to appear as if the media content was being displayed by the virtual television. The AR system can also render an experience that a user is sitting in a virtual theater and seeing those sitting around and/or in front of the user.
The entire disclosures of the above discussed patent documents are hereby incorporated herein by reference.